Some Brickyards Located in Danversport and East Danvers, Mass. in 1884

While checking out the site of the C. Putnam and S.F. Gray brickyard last night, as seen on an 1884 map of Danversport, Mass. (b.t.w. there's absolutely nothing left of it), as part of the research for my forthcoming 800-900 page, tenth book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, South Danvers, Peabody and Salem, Massachusetts, I decided to stop at a thrift store on my way home in Danvers. 

This was my find for $2; a cast concrete painted figure of a turtle, which was perhaps originally used as a doorstop. I suspect the turtle was painted at the factory, whereas this type of production was especially popular in the mid-twentieth century. I also suspect the turtle retains some type of history of local ownership in the Danvers, Peabody, Salem and Beverly area. 

This type of production also relates to figures made at sewer-tile factories in the twentieth century, where some of the figures (including doorstops) were sold by the factory, while other objects were made by workers for special purposes; i.e. weddings, Christmas gifts, birthdays, etc.

Some of the major cement factories in America in the late nineteenth century through the 1970s were located in Ulster County, New York, Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, Louisville, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and southern California.

Note: For more information about sewer-tile production - see these two cover stories that I wrote for past issues of Antiques & Auction News:

1) Special Folk Art Ceramic Vase Made At The Maurice Knight Chemical Stoneware Plant In Akron, Ohio: Carl Funk's Sewer Tile Vase Is Dated 1935: https://www.scribd.com/document/493388621/Carl-Funk-Sewer-Tile-Vase-Antiques-Auctions-News-Feb-5-2021

2) Roy Blind: A World War II Veteran And Sewer Pipe Folk Artist From Ohio: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2022/12/new-published-cover-story-roy-blind.html

20th Century Cast Cement Turtle Found in Danvers, Mass. 

Likely Made by an American Cement Manufacturer

See Article for More Information

Another View of the Turtle

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A View of the Base

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The Location of One Brickyard in East Danvers, Mass.

This is from an 1884 Map

There were a Number of Brickyards in Danversport and East Danvers

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Public Library

The Location of One Brickyard in Danversport, Mass.

This is from an 1884 Map

There were a Number of Brickyards in Danversport and East Danvers

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Public Library

This is the Bickyard

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Boston Public Library

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...